The Lincolnshire Fens

Visiting Thurlby Fen Nature Reserve

This Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Reserve, which is about 2 km long, consists of old flooded borrow-pits with gravel beds, associated reedbeds, scrub and grassland and adjacent hedgerows.

Location and access

Fed by spring and river water welling up from the underlying bedrock and gravels, the interconnected pools have a rich flora, including scarce marsh and aquatic plants such as greater tussock-sedge, greater spearwort, water-violet, greater water-parsnip and fen pondweed.

Purple-loosestrife, marsh pennywort, marsh-marigold and common spotted-orchid are also amoung the 210 species of flowering plants that have been recorded on the reserve. Cowslips make a spectacular show in spring. fine chub lie in clear pools. Birds are numerous and varied: 109 species have been recorded, 14 of which are known to have bred. Twenty-three species of butterfly heve been recorded, most favouring the west end of the reserve.

Location & Access

Thurlby Fen Slipe is reached from the A15 by turning east at Thurlby crossroads. Passing Thurlby church on the right, follow the lane for 1.5 km and then turn right along Baston Edge Drove green lane to the reserve entrance where there is parking space for cars at the end of the drove road (Alternatively continue to the end of the tarmac road to a second reserve entrance). There is a stile at each end of the reserve giving access to the river bank so a circular route may be walked.

Clear Pools in Spring

Biodiversity in the Fens

Of Lincolnshire's original 100,000 hectares of wild wet fenland, only 55 hectares now remain - a loss of over 99.99%. This loss is responsible for the decline and extinction of much of the flora and fauna dependent upon these diverse wetland habitats.More about biodiversity

History in the Fens

Bog oak, pine and yew are still regularly pulled from the peat fens which have preserved the ancient underlying forests, flooded over 5,000 years ago by rising river and sea levels.More about our history

Visit in the Fens

Whatever the season, you can visit the fens and explore the best of Lincolnshires wild fenlands. Download, or pick up a free Gateway to the Lincolnshire Fens leaflet.More about the Fens